A/N: I'm really sorry for the delay! Its almost been a whole week! First there was Christmas, and then I was having some family issues. But thanks to your amazing reviews, I got it done. Honestly, they're the best cure to sadness, and writers block. Forgive me! (:
"Do you love me?" Blaine asked, taking Kurt's hand into his own. They were outside of the Hummel home, waiting for the girls of New Directions to take them to Breadsticks. The guys were going to meet them there later, as they were busy "working out." (Santana was the only one that knew they were playing "Halo.") The smaller boy's breathing hitched, and he looked down at his feet before replying.
"I like you." He replied after a long time, flushing in shame. Blaine had used that dreaded four letter word towards him several times, but found himself continuously avoiding the term.
"Oh." Blaine tilted his pale chin up, and gazed at him thoughtfully.
"A lot though." Kurt backtracked. "And trust me when I say that. I just don't want to rush into...I'm not comfortable-" He stood there stammering, wondering if he had hurt his boyfriend. The situation reminded him of a teenage girl, turning her best friend down; Too young to realize that the rejection was simply honest, but feeling guilty about it nonetheless. But he hadn't rejected Blaine. He simply wasn't ready.
"It's okay, I was just wondering." He grinned, sensing Kurt's unwarranted regret. Before the soprano could reply about how it was most certainly not "okay," he was interrupted. "I didn't ask because I expected, or needed a 'yes.' I'm simply curious."
"Alright." Kurt smiled, relived. He decided, for the sake of his sanity, that he should change the subject immediately. "You should see your Christmas present." They had decided that they didn't want to exchange presents on Christmas morning, with the entire family present, and postponed the event to the following night.
"Opening presents in the dark, alone, out on the porch, snow falling..." Blaine chuckled, pulling out a bag from his thick, black jacket. "This should feel cliche." But for some reason, it didn't. More than anything, it felt like a hassle. If only they could be more affectionate around Burt; He made sure each time those two got close, the fact that he was quite handy with a gun was brought up. He was joking of course, but his fatherly instincts made him want to hurt Blaine sometimes. But hey, that wasn't his fault. It was nature.
"Oh shut up." Kurt laughed, pulling out his own gift for Blaine. It was wrapped neatly simple white paper, topped with a silvery bow. He passed it over, and tentatively watched his boyfriend open it with his calloused fingers.
"I spot a Disney trademark!" He said, immediately ripping off the paper savagely. Kurt looked away anxiously, hoping Blaine liked his gift.
"Finn said you liked Disney, and you sang that Little Mermaid song so..." His eyes darted everywhere that wasn't Blaine. "Come to think of it, he was probably lying to embarrass me."
"Oh my God, Kurt." The dark haired boy breathed from next to him. The Ariel and Eric figurine was balanced carefully on his knee. "It's perfect! This is my favorite movie, I don't even know what to tell you." He turned to give the pale boy a look of thankfulness, and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. Both of them were well aware that Burt was spying from the living room, ready to interrupt inappropriate behavior.
"Oh that's great. I was worried." Kurt admitted, squeezing Blaine's hand.
"Your turn."
"Right." He released him, and grabbed the bag that separated them on the bench. They were now free to scoot over until their hips were touching, hopefully Burt wouldn't mind this slight physical contact. The bag had a picture of Bambi on the front, who was wearing a Santa hat. It was oddly adorable, cheesiness put aside. There was no tissue paper inside, just an article of clothing.
"Carole told me it might be important to you." Blaine murmured, his turn to fret about wether he had gotten the right gift.
"Is this-Yes it is!" Kurt smiled, pulling out his cardigan from the bag. His heart started to beat quickly, as it always did when he was presented with something fabulous. "This was my favourite, I slept with it for a week." Blaine laughed at this.
"Then it was slushied." He concluded. Kurt grimaced at the memory and nodded.
"This is amazing, but what did you use to get the stain out?" He looked up at Blaine inquiringly and looked distinctly pleased with his present. Ecstatic even. This was perfect. Another reminder that no matter what happened, Blaine would be there to fix the situation somehow.
"I bought a new one." He admitted, holding back the painful memories of rabid shoppers. "Again, thank Carole. She told me where to get it and all."
"You didn't need to do that!" Kurt grinned widely at him nonetheless. "Come on get up." They did, and pulled each other into a tight hug. Blaine's hands were snaked around the porcelain boys waist.
"Thank you." He breathed, resting their foreheads against each other.
"Thank you." Kurt answered, arms resting between them on Blaine's chest. They began to lean in, eyelashes almost touching.
"Your dad..." The other boy protested.
"He'll survive." He whispered, just as their lips brushed against each others, and the living room curtain twitched shut. Before they could crash together in perfect harmony, a loud honk from the driveway made them jump apart, startled.
"I think your friends are here." Blaine remarked, eying the new car, parked in the driveway. How had they not noticed it? Kurt groaned while unwillingly releasing himself from the gorgeous boy in front of him.
"I guess we should go." Kurt sighed. A blush was creeping up on his cheeks as Blaine went inside to put their gifts away. What were they thinking? Of all ways to ruin a kiss, they honk. Surely looking away for a few seconds, and politely walking up to introduce themselves wasn't impossible. It was most definitely Rachel. Damn her.
"I am loving how entirely embarrassed you are." Blaine laughed, announcing his return. He took the flushing Kurt's hand, and walked up to the car confidently.
"I don't know how you're doing this, I would be terrified. No, I am." The small boy noted, frightened by how calm Blaine was.
"If I'm too nervous, it would ruin my first impression. So I'm trying to put that behind me." He admitted, lowering his voice as they neared the car. Kurt sighed anxiously, as he opened the door and scooted to the middle seat of Rachel's mini-van. It was large, and held eight people. Two in the front, three in the middle, and three in the back. Blaine got into the car as well, getting the coveted window seat, and slammed the door shut. The girls automatically burst into screams of greeting.
"KURT!"
"Baby, I missed you!"
"You missed the honorary girls meeting two weeks ago!"
"Honey, we have to catch up. You won't believe what..."
"...And then Mr. Schue said that he didn't care if the sandwich was rotten, he just..."
Blaine was unable to follow any of the conversations, but understood this much: Kurt had amazing friends. They all seemed overjoyed to see him, and leaned dangerously over their seats to kiss him on the cheek, or pat him on the head. It was rather adorable. Of course he decided to ignore the "honorary girl" comment that came from the Asian girl in the middle seat behind him. She was flanked by two cheerleaders, the one on the left eyeing Blaine as though she wanted nothing more than to get into his pants. The other, sporting a blonde, curled ponytail, looked merely confused.
"Hi! Oh I missed you, too!" Kurt said, grinning widely. Rachel, who was driving, pulled out of the driveway as he greeted his old friends again.
"So, you aren't going to introduce us?" Tina asked, smirking. Her gaze lingered on Blaine.
"Oh, right." Kurt fidgeted with his hands. "This is Blaine." The six girls around the two boys exchanged knowing looks much to their porcelain friends annoyance.
"Hello." Blaine said, smiling devilishly at Kurt's embarrassed expression.
"That's Santana, Tina, and Britney in the back." He continued, ignoring Santana's wink at him. "You know Mercedes.." He gestured to the smirking girl next to him. "And Rachel and Quinn you've met." Blaine's eyes shot up to the two girls up front, and smiled in acknowledgment.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you ladies." He said politely.
"Kurt's told us a lot about you." Santana wagged her eyebrows suggestively. Blaine noticed Kurt blush intensely as he shushed her.
"Sorry about the kiss. It was all Rachel." Tina said from the back, as the girl in question made a careful left.
"I-It's-No comment." Kurt stammered, turning a shade of red usually reserved for tomatoes. Blaine laughed nervously and stared out the window. This only amused the girls around them, who were beside themselves with fits of laughter.
"You should thank me Kurt." Rachel insisted, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "They all wanted to stay and spy. I on the other hand, put a stop to that."
"Only because you said things were getting 'too inappropriate.'" Quinn snorted.
"Are you kidding?" Kurt piped up, looking slightly amused now. "How many times have I caught you and Finn sucking face-"
"That is besides the point!" She nearly shrieked, ignoring the retching sounds Santana was now emitting. "And I do not 'suck face' with Finn!"
"Whatever." Mercedes said, not believing her comment. "Stop trying to sound like such a hero, you were watching for a good five minutes before you honked."
"Better late than never." She insisted, keeping her narrowed eyes on the road, as Quinn toyed with the stations.
"By the way, the whole cardigan gift," Mercedes started, "pure genius."
"Oh it was all Carole!" Blaine insisted, smiling widely. "She is fantastic."
"What stain remover was it anyway?" Rachel asked as she stopped at the red light.
"I bought him a new one." Blaine stared at Kurt fondly. "He didn't realize until he saw the price tag." This only caused the girls to squeal.
"Oh that's so precious!" Quinn gushed, missing Sam. The rest of the car ride consisted of one large conversation, between Blaine and the other girls. Kurt remained silent, listening amusedly. From hair straighteners, to clothing, they discussed it all. Thank God they approved of his boyfriend. Part of him was afraid they would hate him, and shun Kurt. (This was ridiculous on many levels, but he refused to see it.) He zoned out for several minutes, contentedly holding Mercedes' hand, before trying to listen in on where the conversation had taken them.
"Finn is much better suited to me than Jesse." Rachel was telling them all, her bossy voice drowning out the radio. "I hate how controlling he was, despite his looks and unprecedented voice." The girls groaned in agreement.
"Artie lost me when he tried to get me to lose the goth." Tine grumbled from the back. This earned her a poke from Britney.
"Stop. Artie's perfect." Her voice was as dazed and confused as ever, and seconds later she looked down to hum and her shoes.
"I hate men who stroll into the relationship feeling superior because they're more masculine." Blaine added, still in the conversation.
"That's happened to you?" Mercedes asked, giving him an understanding look. Blaine, much to Kurt's surprise, nodded.
"Last year, we barely dated before I told him to go shove his ego up-" Blaine was cut off by the rest of the girls laughing and agreeing at his comment.
"You never told me you've had a boyfriend before." Kurt said, giving him a thoughtful look. His boyfriend shrugged.
"I'll tell you everything one day, when we're alone and have time." He promised, earning him a happy sigh from Kurt. Finally, they drove into the Breadsticks parking lot. Rachel spotted Artie's dads minivan, and parked next to it.
"I suppose the boys are already here." She sniffed, turning the car off. There was a great ruckus as the eight of them tried to escape the confines of the car. Blaine, Mercedes, Rachel, and Quinn got out easily. Unfortunately for Kurt, he was stuck in-between Tina, Santana, and Britney, who were all violently jumping over the backseat in an attempt to escape to their favorite restaurant.
"You okay?" Blaine laughed, eventually helping his flustered boyfriend out of the car.
"I think Santana bit me!" He said loudly so that she could hear. They all simply chuckled as he shut the door behind him, and walked towards the entrance of Breadsticks. Blaine followed, while the throng of girls tried to eavesdrop.
"You could cover up your nervousness better, you know." He winked, casually taking Kurt's hand. The soprano looked behind him to see Mercedes and Quinn giggling at the slight physical contact, and gave them a playful glare.
"I am not." He insisted, ignoring the whisper of gossip behind them. "Well, maybe a little about the guys."
"Ah, a confession. Don't worry, I can talk sports too, remember?" He gripped Kurt's hand tighter in reassurance.
"It's not that. It's just that..." Kurt thought over his words carefully. "The boys can be, erm...A little...immature at times. Especially about my sexuality." There, that didn't sound too bad, did it?
"I think I'll manage." Blaine led them through the front doors, and into the warm restaurant. The same, older waitress that was always there strode up to them. She was cut off before she could begin to speak.
"Excuse me." Rachel said coldly, strutting to the front of the pack. "We can find our own seats." She walked briskly away from the confused woman, the rest of them following. Santana snorted.
"What's up with Berry?" She asked.
"She kicked me out last time, because I was singing too loudly." She huffed, finding the New Directions boys and making her way towards them.
"Rachel, you were belting Streisand out at the top of your lungs." Mercedes laughed, remembering the day fondly.
"Whatever. Come on." She found Finn first, who waved at them when they approached their table. They made their way into the large booth, and sat down. Quinn was next to Sam, who draped his arm around her. Kurt wondered why he had ever had a crush on him. Rachel, of course, was next to Finn. They were already getting gooey. It was revolting.
"Guys, this is Blaine." Kurt said once the chatter died down. Each of the boys, except for Finn, turned to stare at him. Their gazes went up and down his profile. It took a minute for Kurt to realize they were sizing him up.
"Sup man?" Puck asked, reaching over to shake his hand. He was impressed when Blaine shook back firmly.
"Nothing, I'm doing good. You?" He was in complete guy mode. The girls, who were recently chattering away with Kurt, were confused.
"We're just talking basketball." The boy in the wheelchair smiled at him. "I'm Artie, and that's Puck." Blaine nodded in acknowledgment.
"Our team sucks." Finn pouted from next to Rachel, jumping into the conversation.
"You play?" Blaine raised his eyebrows. "I thought you were a football guy."
"We all are." Puck said. "That's where we dominate. We're complete crap out on the court though."
"Blaine, I play point if that explains anything to you." Finn grimaced, looking defeated.
"Aren't you a little tall?" He laughed.
"I'm in a wheelchair, and I'm the MVP. We're completely dysfunctional!" Artie explained, also sulking. These guys obviously weren't used to losing. It was clear they had some serious basketball issues to tackle.
"Ouch! I'd help you out, but I'm also a football kind of person." He admitted. This got everyone's attention.
"Just like Kurt." Quinn smiled mischievously, exchanging a look with Mercedes. He shifted awkwardly next to Blaine.
"You never told me that!" He accused, noting how flushed his boyfriend was getting. "Kicker, I assume...You told me you weren't athletic."
"Yes, kicker." He sighed, admitting defeat. "I got through it by means of dance." Blaine and a couple of others laughed out loud at this.
"I'm sorry, what?" He grinned. Kurt had danced on the football field. Now that was something he would pay to see.
"Nothing! Don't mention it-new topic-" Puck stuttered, muttering something about manliness. For the next hour or so, the boys (except for Kurt) raved about football. The rest of the group was throughly intrigued by this. Blaine had gone from hair straighteners, to discussing game tactics in mere minutes.
"Colts!" Puck insisted, dropping his fork. "They should have won." They were on to the subject of the Superbowl.
"The Saints needed that win!" Blaine argued, passionately. "New Orleans needed something to celebrate."
"It was a pity win!" Finn said.
"Well the Saints cheerleaders are hotter..." Artie said thoughtfully. There was a murmur of agreement from Puck. Finn decided to remain quiet, as Rachel was glaring at him fiercely.
"Hey, Blaine." She said, looking away from Finn. "Did you know Kurt was a cheerleader?"
"Shut up. Shut up. No, no, no. This isn't happening." Kurt covered his face with his hands as the entire table burst into loud laughter.
"What-Really?" Blaine howled, turning red from laughing too hard. "Mercedes, you have to send me a link to a routine, please!" Kurt stared, aghast at his best friend as she nodded, assuring him she would.
"What're you looking at?" Kurt asked self-consciously. Blaine was giving him a probing look.
"Trying to imagine you in a Cheerio's uniform." He giggled.
"Oh it gets better!" Mercedes clapped her hands together in amusement. "Kurt totally went lumberjack this one time!"
"He was straight for a while." Britney said, looking up from the pile of peas on her plate. "He was capital "G" gay, so I backed off. But then he sang a manly song, so we made out." Everyone turned to stare at her, remembering all too well the awkward three days that Britney and Kurt had dated.
"I'm truly confused." Blaine said, looking at the pale boy next to him. They each laughed at his mortified expression.
"It was a phase!" He shrieked.
"It was so cute!" Quinn giggled, shaking.
"I missed all of this." Sam frowned from next to her, looking disappointed. "How do I miss Lumberjack Kurt? Nothing awesome like that happens anymore."
"You all say it as though it's an alias!" Kurt whined. "I wear that crap one time..."
"I'm sure it was...erm, great." Blaine didn't even try to hide his smile now. He was having a little too much fun getting along with New Directions for Kurt's liking. He decided to turn away from the rest of the group and talk to Mercedes as a distraction. Blaine laughing at him wasn't exactly what he would classify as "fun."
"Somebody wants to change the subject." She laughed, as Kurt groaned into her shoulder. "Don't worry. Just be glad they're all getting along." She motioned at Sam and Blaine creating a friendship handshake.
"This is embarrassing, Cedes!" He put on his best diva act, but everyone could see how happy he was. His two worlds had not collided, but merged together peacefully.
"Oh, about Karofsky..." Finn started. Everyone went silent and looked up at him. Blaine appeared suddenly tense, so they all knew he was filled in on the bully. "I totally tackled him during tryouts today. He's got this huge bruise on his cheek!" They all began to laugh, having assumed that Finn was going to mention something negative. Kurt was thinking along the lines of, "Karofsky's moving to Dalton," but was pleased with this news instead.
"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Blaine murmured into the smaller boys ear.
"Okay." He said, moving to allow Blaine out of the booth. They pecked each other on the lips before the dark haired boy left. This did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group. As soon as Blaine was out of earshot they burst into loud discussion.
"How far have you gone?"
"You need to get laid man!"
"Santana, Puck! Stop it!" He blushed. "We've only kissed."
"It gets pretty wild according to what I've heard." Mercedes raised her eyebrows and giggled at her friends embarrassment.
"Nothing worse than Finn and Rachel!" He counteracted, hoping this would cool them down. Puck only snorted.
"They eat each other's faces off." Rachel glared at him. If looks could kill... "So this Blaine guy, he's good?" Puck stared at him with an expression that could only be described as a "because-if-he's-being-an-ass-to-you-I'll-beat-him-up" look.
"Oh he's amazing!" He said, voice raising about an octave. While the girls cooed, the boys awkwardly laughed and looked away. They were happy for Kurt...But yelling and jumping was too feminine. They had reputations to keep up, after all.
"Oh tell us about your first kiss!" Quinn begged, batting her eyelashes. Yeah, now they boys really wanted to stay out of the conversation. They began talking about football again, while Tina, Quinn, Rachel and Mercedes gushed over Kurt's love life.
"...And he said he did want to go out with me, it was just that our friendship was on the line..." He explained, grinning stupidly into outer-space. "...so then he kissed me, in the parking lot."
"Aw!" Rachel clapped her hands together. "That's so romantic!" The four of them sighed contently, and didn't notice Blaine return from the restroom.
"I try." He smiled, making them all jump.
"This just gets better and better." Mercedes said, catching Kurt's humiliated glance at her. What she wouldn't do for some popcorn.
"It's okay, we should be leaving now anyways." Rachel piped up. "They're closing in twenty." Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. His friends liked Blaine, and he wasn't going to be subjected to more embarrassment. Things had gone over reasonably well. They all shuffled out of the booth, and each threw their share of bills onto the table to cover the bill.
"Nice meeting you." Artie shook Blaine's hand. Kurt smiled at this, and walked slowly along with the group as they made their way to the exit.
"This was fun." Blaine whispered into his ear as they held hands, and trailed behind the rest of them. Kurt didn't get a chance to respond.
"So, Blaine." Santana started earnestly. "Top or bottom?" He guffawed at her, unsure of what to say. The rest of them, except for Puck who grinned wildly, did the same.
"Okay, this is getting weird!" Kurt yelled, blushing madly. He ran away from them with a blank faced Blaine trailing along. "We're waiting outside until the guys leave!"
"Wow. I like him. But he's out there." Blaine remarked as they strode away, wondering how Puck maintained a girlfriend with his honesty. He had learned from his older sister never to tell girls the truth. 'No of course that dress doesn't make you look fat.' What do you suppose would happen to you if you said that it did?
"I'm so sorry!" Kurt apologized, pulling the door open and stepping out into the cold, winter night. What if his boyfriend was grossed out now? He let out a long breath, while leaning back onto the brick wall. Blaine put his hands on Kurt's waist, smiling.
"It's okay." He assured him with a laugh. "I like your friends. Especially Britney."
"She's something." Kurt agreed, loosening up at the close proximity between them. His slight anger, and embarrassment had faded. All that mattered now was Blaine's peppermint breath, blowing over him.
"She told me something about your 'soft lady hands.'" He winked, hazel eyes then boring into the blue ones.
"I don't like where this conversation is going." Kurt concluded, joking a little bit, but meaning what he said at the same time. Instead of changing the subject, he pressed his lips against Blaine's. It was a chaste kiss, that surely would have developed into something better. But just as Kurt's mouth fell open, the door next to them did as well.
"I hate to break up the sex riot but-"
"PUCK!"
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! The next chapter is one of my favorites. I am biased though. I like it purely because of the Wes-overload it contains.
Ps- I love you guys, and your reviews. They're so sweet, and always make me laugh out loud in girlish squeals. It's embarrassing. 3 *Cyber hug*
Once again, writing has made me feel better (: